good morning, america. i'm george stephanopoulos. >> and i'm robin roberts. it is wednesday, september 8th. this morning, the fight over ground zero intensifies. the imam behind the proposed islamic center, speaks out. as that minister vows to burn korans at his florida church. new york mayor mike bloomberg weighs in. president obama plans to go in his critics' backyard. we ask the speaker of the house if he has a better plan for the economy. a "gma" exclusive with republican leader, john boehner. dr. oz becomes the patient, after a startling health scare. why he says dumb luck may have saved his life. here's here to talk about it for the first time. and a nightmare spectacle in las vegas. the trainer let his guard down during a lion's lunch. all caught on tape.

good morning, everyone. and we're just days away, now, from the anniversary, the ninth anniversary of 9/11. and the imam in charge of that islamic center proposal, writing at this time, that americans should not, quote, back away from completing the project. and that florida paster is not backing down on his plan to burn the koran. and world leaders are speaking out. everyone from hillary clinton to the pope condemning his plan. in just a few minutes, our interview with new york mayor mike bloomberg. and the personal reason he's defending the plan. >> he's been outspoken on this issue. we'll also get exclusive reaction from the top republican in the house, john boehner. he could be the speaker of the house if the republicans win seats. we'll get him to weigh in on the koran burning controversy. and also the big battle that the

president is going to. if president is going to congressman boehner's back yard. that's a contrast he wants to draw. >> and you'll be there to interview the president and bring us that tomorrow. we start with the controversy of the pastor that is going to burn the koran. and the imam of the proposed mosque. the imam is speaking out this morning. dan harris has the latest. >> reporter: good morning. here is that op-ed from the imam. in it, he says, quote, we are proceeding. fresh back from his taxpayer-funded speaking tour of the middle east, imam feisal raul, that if america backs down from constructing the center, quote, we cede the discourse and our future to radicals on both sides. the paradigm between the muslims

and the west will continue. and meanwhile, overnight, secretary of state hillary clinton joined what has become a coordinated federal assault on that small church in florida, that plans to burn korans on 9/11. >> i am heartened by the clear, unequivocal condemnation of this disrespectful, disgraceful act, that has come from american religious leaders of all faiths. >> reporter: secretary clinton added her voice to a growing government chorus, including general david petraeus, who warned that images of koran-burning could endanger his troops in afghanistan. a notion echoed by the white house itself. >> any type of activity like that that puts our troops into harm's way would be a concern of this administration. >> reporter: also weighing in, the vatican, whose newspaper ran a headline that says, no one burns the koran. and a group of religious leaders, who say the

koran-burning is exhibit "a" in a nationwide, quote, anti-muslim frenzy. >> america was not built on hatred. america was built on love. >> reporter: but the man at the center of this controversy is not backing down. >> i think jesus would burn this one. radical islam is dangerous. just say no to it. >> reporter: we may not know how this one turns out until the very last minute, until saturday, whether he makes up his mind to burn those korans or not. one more note on the imam that has written this op-ed today about the proposed muslim community center near ground zero. he points out he has the support of a christian president, president obama and a jewish mayor, mayor bloomberg. this dividing the nation. in a recent "new york times" poll, 50% of new yorkers say they opposed it. in a wide-ranging interview on

tuesday, i spoke to mayor mike bloomberg, about that controversy and others. a lot of people are quite upset about the fact that an islamic community center is proposing to be built blocks from here. muslims have the right to build it. but they're hoping that there would be some sensitivity to what took place here, almost nine years ago. in your estimation, is there any room for compromise? >> if the builders want to build, they have a right to do it. if people want to suggest that they don't build it or build it elsewhere, they have a right to say that. what is clear is the government should never get involved in restricting what you can say, which includes who you can pray to or where you can pray. and that's the issue. this is a first amendment issue. and i think a lot of this is

rhetoric and a campaign. and it's a disgrace. this is not a campaign issue. people say, well, mike. i understand your first amendment issue. but what do you think? the answer is, i'm the government. and i should not express my own views as to whether it should be or not be built here. >> on a personal level, in reading more about you. you grew up in massachusetts. and there is a story. your lawyer of the family had to buy a home in a certain suburb. >> i was 4 years old at the time. i don't remember clearly. >> but because your family is jewish. >> they didn't want -- the developer didn't want to sell. i think he said his sister would never talk to him again if he sold his house, which is the one we bought, to a jew, to bring it into the neighborhood. so, he sold it to my father's irish lawyer, who sold it to my father.

>> how can that not weigh in on your thoughts about this situation? >> robin, all of us have come from -- hard to find anybody in this country that, if you go back in time, they or their ancestors didn't come from a group that was discriminated against. the pilgrims came here to avoid religious persecution in england. african-americans came here as slaves. the irish, people don't remember. the no irish need apply signs that were all over. catholics. remember john f. kennedy? the pope was going to run america. he was going to tell them what to do. >> i don't know anybody who hasn't had a heated debate with friends and others, about the islamic center. can the debate be reframed at this point? >> i'll tell you how to reframe the debate. my girlfriend and i were hag a hamburger the other day. i had a hamburger in one hand.

one guy came up and said can i talk to you? sure. that's my job to talk to everybody. what do you want to talk about? the mosque. my hamburger is going to get cold before i finish this conversation. i just got finish with two tours of duty overseas. some of my friends didn't come back. keep explaining to them, that's why we went overseas to fight and some of us didn't come back. it's the fact that we have the right to do this. not whether we should or we shouldn't. but we have the right. this is not a new york city issue. we are middle america, too. and it's about whether you want your freedoms. >> so, what do you say to someone from middle america that says, i don't want to see that? >> i know you don't want to see it. and the fact that you have a right to say it, which you might not have a right in other countries, is because we're standing up. and our young men and women are overseas fighting for exactly your right to do -- to say what

you want to say. >> reporter: later, while touring ground zero, i asked mayor bloomberg about the other controversy. the leader of a small church in florida, who plans to burn copies of the koran to mark the anniversary of september 11th. >> i don't think he should be doing it. nevertheless, either you believe in the first amendment or you don't. and he has a right to do it. we're fighting for justice for his right, even when i think it is bone-headed and wrong. >> we'll have more of our interview with mayor mike bloomberg in our next hour. and we'll continue our tour of the construction site there at ground zero, including the spectacular 9/11 memorial that is beginning to take shape. that will be in our 8:00 hour. >> a blunt mayor bloomberg. we're going to turn to president obama and his latest effort to jump-start the economy and revive his party's political fortune. he will give a speech in cleveland today, offering new tax breaks for businesses. jake, the other purpose of the

speech is to draw contrast with the republicans. specifically, the man hoping to be the next speaker of the house, ohio congressman, john boehner, our next guest. >> reporter: that's right, george. the white house was taken with house minority leader john boehner's speech a couple of weeks ago. where he outlined proposals for the economy and attacked president obama. the president will try to use boehner as a foil, as a policy of the past that led us into this financial and economic quagmire. he'll talk about how they support the regulatory framework that led to the collapse. how he continues to support the wealthiest tax cuts for the wealthiest americans. and how that represents the past. and president obama will outline some of the new policies we've been hearing about this week. allowing businesses to write off new investments. and permanently extending the research and development tax credit.

and $50 billion in infrastructure. and you're likely to hear the president talk about economic struggles in personal terms. the kind of terms we're not accustomed to hearing from him as president. >> trying to close the empathy gap. there's a lot of buzz behind the scenes of the white house because of the announcement from chicago mayor, richard daley, saying he's not going to run again. which has raised all of the speculation whether white house chief of staff, rahm emanuel, will run for mayor of chicago. >> reporter: that's right. emanuel is making up his mind. but reading the tea leaves, david axelrod told ann compton, the mayorship is an attractive opportunity. but the president would support that decision. for the tea leaf readers, that seems to be a suggestion that raum is leaning in that detection. the president will deliver what he hopes to be a tide-turning speech in cleveland. and he is taking direct aim

again at our next guest, top republican john boehner. >> and the republican who thinks he's going to take over as speaker -- [ audience reacts ] i'm just saying, that's his opinion. he's entitled to his opinion. but when he was asked about this, he dismissed those jobs, as government jobs that weren't worth saving. >> and house republican leader, john boehner, joins us now. thank you, sir, for coming in. you seem to be the president's new punching bag. >> well, george, i think it shows how out of touch the white house is. you know, the american people are asking the question, where are the jobs? and yet, here's the white house, worrying about what i've got to say. instead of working together to get our economy going again. and to get jobs back in america. >> well, the president is outlining proposals that republicans have supported in the past. the permanent extension of the research and development tax credit.

the small business tax cut of about $100 billion. those are proposals that republicans supported in the past. will you support them now? >> george, i'm open to the president's ideas. but i think the president's missing the bigger point here. that is, with all of the spending in washington, and all the uncertainty facing small businesses, including the coming tax hikes on january 1st, until this uncertainty and spending is under control, i don't think these are going to have much impact. so, today, what i'd like to do is work on a bipartisan basis to do two things. first, instead of waiting until after the election, to put together some big omni spending bill, we should pass at 2008 spending levels. before the t.a.r.p., before the bailout, before the stimulus. and let's put certainty in the economy. that in and of itself would save about $100 billion this year alone. and secondly, why wouldn't we

work together to make it clear that all current tax rates will be extended for the next two years? >> so, you're open -- >> what that will do is help small businesses who have no clue what the coming tax rates are going to be. gives them some certainty. and if we're able to do this together, i think we'll show the american people that we understand what's going on in the country. and we'll be able to get our economy moving again and get jobs growing in america. >> so, you're open to the president's ideas. you're also making two proposals. the president is against the extension for the wealthy. but his former budget director, peter orszag made a similar proposal. but he said they have to expire in two years to reduce the deficit. are you open to that part, as well? >> george, we can't deal with the deficit, until we're willing to get our arms around spending and have a strong economy. and you can't have a strong

economy if you're raising taxes on the very people you want to invest in our economy to begin hiring people again. >> mr. leader, how confident are you that you're going to be speaker of the house next year? >> certainly, george, it's possible. we've got a steep hill to crime. we have a lot of work to do. but when i travel the country and i travel my district, i've never seen the american people more engaged in this election and any election in my lifetime. and so, we've got a lot of work to do. that's our goal, though. to earn back the majority so we can renew our efforts to drive for a smaller, lest-costly and more accountable government in washington, d.c. >> if you win, you will be third in line for the white house. obviously, the eyes of the world will be on you. i want you to weigh in on an issue of national security implications, as well. we've seen pastor terry jones down in florida, threatening to burn the koran this weekend. general petraeus has spoken out against it. secretary clinton has spoken out against it. what is your message to pastor

jones? >> to pastor jones and those who want to build a mosque, just because you have a right to do something in america, does not mean it is the right thing to do. we're a nation of religious freedom. we're also a nation of tolerance. and i think, in the name of tolerance, people ought to really think about the kind of actions they're taking. >> so, you're telling him not to do it? sir? are you telling him not to do it? >> well, listen. i just think that it's not wise to do this in the face of what our country really represents. and over some, you know, 234 years. >> okay. before you go, i have to note that if you do win and you're going to become speaker, you will probably have the deepest tan of any speaker in american history. it's actually been a poll out in your state of ohio, saying 30% of the voters thinks you spend too much time on your tan. and 27% don't like it. is this something you have to overcome?

>> they probably weren't there yesterday, when i was out cutting my grass. when i was out riding my mountain bike. all right? >> so, no worries there? >> thanks, george. >> okay. thank you. no comment at all. tomorrow, i'll have more of my exclusive interview with president obama. if you have a question you'd like me to ask the president, go to abcnews.com/gma. juju's here with the rest of the news. >> to tan or not to tan? that's the question this morning. we begin with a state of emergency in colorado, where nearly 100 buildings, many of them homes, have been destroyed by a wildfire, raging out of control near boulder. fire crews are worried that wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour could, today, spread the fire into the path of hundreds of additional homes. 3,000 people have already been evacuated. different fires broke out across the city in a span of only a few hours tuesday. dozens of houses were destroyed. heavy winds that brought down

power lines sparked mothers of the fires. no one was hurt. bp is doing some finger-pointing telling the world who is to blame for the worst oil spill in u.s. history. the oil company admits making several mistakes ahead of the deadly disaster. but an internal investigation released just this morning, bp also shifts some of the blame to rig owner transocean and halliburton. the blownout preventer may offer new clues as government investigations are still under way. now, a nightmare on the high seas. look at this video from a cruise ship that hit rough seas in a storm off new zealand, in 2008. passengers are tossed about like dolls. watch as the furniture slides across the floor violently. you see a woman tossed into a pillar. many suffered broken bones and limbs. they say the worst injuries were from the gambling machines falling on people. >> many said they felt like they

were in a disaster movie. >> look at the chairs. >> that was some of the reform that came out of it. time for the weather. let's go to sam champion. i do not like the map behind you. >> we're getting pictures. good morning, robin, george, juju, everybody. out in texas, we knew it would be big rainfall. this is crazy big rainfall. doppler of 16 inches of rain. some pictures out of the austin area this morning. folks have been stranded. more than 100 homes have been evacuated near creeks. it looks like a radar shot. but it's a doppler estimate. look at the areas of red that go from san antonio, to austin, to waco, all the way to dallas. our estimates are anywhere from 6 to 15 inches of rain. it certainly means there will be flood watches and warnings from corpus, to oklahoma city. wichita's involved in this. also into missouri. this is very heavy rain that continues during the day today. it is gorgeous in washington, d.c., and boston. this is cooler air settling in.

if you like the 80s, today is your last day of it in the northeast.

we have an eye on and are really concerned about the flooding in central texas this morning. robin and george? >> sam, thank you. coming up, from tame to terrifying in an instant, just like that. a lion jumps on his trainer. full view of an audience in las vegas. what made the lion attack? and should wild animals appear in shows like this at all? imagine what the people watching there. jack hanna is going to join us and weigh in on this. >> such a scary moment for those people. later, dr. mehmet oz becomes a patient. he's going to speak out for the first time on our program about the health scare that may have saved his life. he went in for routine colonoscopy. he'll tell you what he found. dancing there?

flying there? how about eating soup to get there? delicious campbell's soups fill you with good nutrition, energy, farm-grown ingredients, and can help you keep a healthy weight. helping you get to a happier place. have a nice trip. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. but basically, i'm a runner. last year. (oof). i had a bum knee that needed surgery. but it got complicated, because i had an old injury. so i wanted a doctor who had done this before. and unitedhealthcare's database helped me find a surgeon. you know you can't have great legs, if you don't have good knees. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. [ beep ] ♪ [ beep ] [ beep ]

♪ [ beep ] [ male announcer ] find an italian masterpiece in your grocer's freezer. new from buitoni. shrimp and lobster ravioli with garlic butter sauce. simple ingredients, artfully prepared. buitoni. create an italian masterpiece. discover more buitoni masterpieces in the freezer section. to finish what you started today. for the aches and sleeplessness in between, there's new motrin pm. no other medicine, not even advil pm, is more effective for pain and sleeplessness. new motrin pm. equals chili's $20 dinner for two. share an app, like our texas cheese fries. then choose two entrees from 14 chili's favorites, like our new sweet & smoky chicken crispers. the $20 dinner for two, only at chili's. ♪ [ female announcer ] hurry in and load up on food and great savings during the petsmart treat your pet sale. right now, you'll find hundreds of ways to treat your pet for under $10,

from toys, to treats and more. at petsmart. we love to see healthy, happy pets! nothing beats prevacid®24hr. just one pill helps keep you heartburn free for a full 24 hours. prevent the acid that causes frequent heartburn with prevacid®24hr, all day, all night. nothing works better.

good morning. we're waiting for a cold front to approach the area. as of now, everything is pretty dry, but as we look down towards the south and west, basically fredericksburg, we can see a couple showers pushing towards the east at 40 miles an hour. so it is moving swiftly. not a lot of activity ahead of the cold front moving through as we go throughout the day. behind the cold front we're going to get windy.

and we're going to be seeing cooler conditions on thursday and friday. the next chance of showers, rolling in on sunday. kim brown has traffic. good morning, kim. >> good morning. traffic is going to be heavy and slow going in the usual areas including the beltway, 95 and harrisburg expressway. looking at the cameras, in howard county, route 29 at route 32, it starts to jam approaching the route 32 exit, one accident to let you know about as we look at the maps. that's in southern maryland, route 258 at route 4 in lothian. jamie costello is here with your morning news update. >> kim, today lawyers for the city and wells fargo are going to be in court arguing whether the city's revised lawsuit against the mortgage company should go forward. maryland's state police and other law enforcement officers will gather at martin state airport to discuss plans to identify and prosecute people who target pilots with laser pointes. and today environmental maryland will release a report on global warming, the group plans a news conference held in

fells point in the neighborhood flooded by hurricane isabel in 2003. we'll have more on these stories coming up throughout the rest of the day. news, weather and also traffic coming up in 25 minutes. now let's go back to new york, more of good morning america.

such startling video of a sudden lion attack at a las vegas casino attraction. the lion just suddenly turns on its trainer. and the audience could do nothing but watch. we'll ask our good friend and wildlife expert, jack hanna, what possibly could have make the lion turn like that. >> it was such a scary moment. also this morning, dr. mehmet oz. he's going to be here talking for the first time about his health scare that he says may ultimately have saved his life. it's a wake-up call that everyone should hear. also, our series, "vanished," digs into the mysterious disappearance of lindsey baum. haven't seen her sense. we'll get into that. we're going to begin with the shocking video of a lion lunging at one of its trainers. it happened in full view of patrons at the mgm grand in las

vegas. the video shows a male lion repeatedly going after a trainer, while another trainer scrambles to pull the lion off. mike von fremd has more of the terrifying moments. >> reporter: the mgm grand's lion exhibit roars with excitement. but in an instant last week, it was terrifying, when one of the 400-pound lions turned on its trainer. >> somewhat like a lunge. he was definitely up on his back feet. >> reporter: titus and drew ellis were on their honeymoon in las vegas, and captured it all on videotape. you can see as the second trainer rushes the lion. and with the apparent help of a lioness, they manage to force the attacking lion off. but not until the trainer suffered a bite on his leg in the sound-proof exhibit. >> just the look on the guy's face. you can tell, he's in major pain. and i'm sure he was screaming. >> reporter: a hotel

spokesperson says the trainer is now recovering and anxious to get back to work. and the animals are back on exhibit, inside the resort. not far from the infamous white tiger, monacore, nearly took the life of roy horn, of seigfried and roy. there's always the danger a wild animal will attack. in february, 22-foot killer whale, tilly, took the life of expert trainer, dawn ban chow. in 2008, this bear turned on his real-life trainers in a special facility east of los angeles. >> unfortunately, one of the trainers, a single bite to the neck. >> reporter: trainer, steven miller did not survive. as the department of agriculture investigates every incident, and now is now trying to determine

what may have provoked the lion in las vegas. for "good morning america," mike von fremd, abc news. and for more, now, we turn, now, to our friend, jack hanna. he joins us live from the columbus zoo. talk us through what you see when you look at the tape. i was surprised to hear you don't think this was an attack. >> no. i look at it about ten times, george. just a minute ago, as well. an attack would not go to africa and see lions on a kill or a hunt there. or even in the zoo. if the animal is going to attack, it would have been over in five or ten seconds. as i look at it, i don't know the circumstances. the other trainer corrected the lion a little bit. just before the animal jumped on the fella. that might be a situation there. when you're working with wild animals, it's unpredictable. we know that in the zoological world.

>> but you think the lion was playing too aggressively? >> well, i think the lion, because they do play with the lions, work with them, train them, talk to the public several times a day about the lions, it may have been a play tactic. however, when the lion kept pursuing him, as you saw through the video, that made me have concerns that maybe this man is new. i don't know. >> how about when the female lion came over? what was going on there? >> well, it looked like almost she was trying to tell the male lion to lay off in a way. i don't know if those lions are neutered or not. sometimes in the wild i see lions mount each other if she was in heat. i don't know if she was in heat or not. i'm not there. but that could have been one of those two things, trying to help the guy. or maybe she was in heat, as well. i'm not sure. >> just before the segment started, i got an e-mail from my wife who saw the first video. she said, what do you expect?

these are wild animals. they don't belong in cages like this. they shouldn't be out to do tricks. this is always going to happen. >> i wouldn't say they shouldn't be there. there's a lot of money sent, i don't know how much, to lion research in the wild. mgm, as well as seigfried and roy, which you at abc, did a tremendous story on 10 or 15 years ago. those guys love the animals. they are well-trained staff there. when you work with animals like this, nascar or race car drivers, things will happen. things will happen in this zoo or any zoo in the country. the safety is our priority and the health of the animals. there's a lot of people that go to las vegas for mgm. millions of people. they do it in a proper way and educational way. and a good way where the animals have a natural habitat. they're transferred outside of vegas. they have great holmes. if they're done in the proper way, i don't have a problem with it. >> jack, i know you have experience raising lions.

what do you find about them so intriguing? >> lions are the social creatures on the planet. the big male, he sits and eats. the female, 90% of time will make the kill. the serious thing, george, is when i went to africa the first time in the '70s, we had an incredible amount of lions. can you believe we've lost over 80% of our lion population in africa? due to contact with man. and we have a very serious problem with lions in africa. if you had told me that in the 1970s, i wouldn't believe it. you see the cubs here. this is a pure strain of lions, by the way. this is important to the population of lions. the zoological world do a great job in breeding the animals. >> i did not realize that. jack hanna, thanks for your time this morning. >> thank you. and it's time for the weather with sam. hey, sam. >> good morning, george. we're getting new pictures out of the austin, texas, situation.

we are hearing stories of a woman who drove around police barricades. they had to extend the hunt for her. they weren't able to find -- it's a dark suv and this woman. this is a terrible, hard situation here. we watch in. what was hermine, the impact of this low pressure, we knew it was going to be bad flooding. but it is now estimated at 15 inches of rain in some parts of central texas. oklahoma will get involved in this. kansas will, as well. parts of missouri. it will probably be one to three inches of rain in the next few hours. and a three to six-inch rainfall. this is the area of concern. san antonio all the way through austin and south of dallas, as the rain hopefully will let up a little bit during the day today. another system in the cool northwest today. seattle at 64. portland at 67

all that weather was brought to you by the amazon kindle. george? >> thank you, sam. when we come back, dr. mehmet oz's cancer scare. he'll speak about it here for the first time. me neither. it's beneful incredibites.

it's just the way you like it-- with carbohydrates for energy and protein for muscles. [ woman announcing ] beneful incredibites. another healthful, flavorful beneful. [ male announcer ] we asked zyrtec® users what they love about their allergy relief, and what it lets them do. the thing i love most about zyrtec® is that it allows me to be outside. [ male announcer ] we bet you'll love zyrtec®, too -- or it's free. [ vonetta ] it is countdown to marshmallow time. [ woman laughs ] stay twice... earn a free night! two separate stays at comfort inn or any of these choice hotels can earn you a free night -- only when you book at choicehotels.com.

dr. mehmet oz is about the last person you'd ever think of as having a health scare. but as he announced on "the of dr. oz show" yesterday, doctors

found a precancerous polyp during his first routine colonoscopy. he's here to explain exactly what that is. and how this test may have saved his life. wonderful to see you. glad everything's okay. you gave us all a scare. i know you gave yourself one. >> it's by your head. i've done the procedure. i know what the polyps look like. i was lying there half-dazed. and i looked at the screen. i said, my goodness. that's a precancerous polyp. what's that doing there? >> let's look at the screen. your reaction said it all. >> i got a phone call from dr. o'toole. and she said that this polyp wassed a gnome nis. you have the kind of polyp, had it been left in, could have developed into a cancer over time. how long? it could have been 7, 10, 15 years before that thing started to turn. >> you just turned 50. >> yeah. >> you wanted to have this done

because everybody talks about it. you were thinking, i don't need to do this. >> i was checking the box, robin. it's so arrogant of me. i feel so humbled by it, almost ashamed. i procrastinate, like a lot of guys do. and i've been talking about getting colonoscopies. i'll show everybody how easy it is. when you go through it, you realize it is more challenging. but i don't want anyone to walk away from this saying, oz did all of the right things. and he had a polyp. why should i bother? part of doing the right thing is getting a collionoscopycolonosc. you can do all of the right things. and sometimes the cards aren't what you expect. the key to the issue is know what you can know. and getting a collonoscopy is taking care of your body. >> we were talking offcamera. and you were a little embarrassed thinking, you do the right thing.

doctors told me, to prevent getting cancer, they can help you fight it. that's a message. be a little more specific about what was found and what's going to happen going forward with you. >> there's two types of polyps in the colon. some are not a big deal. some of this like thissed a gnome nis polyp are precancerous. not all polyps become cancerous. i was not a great patient. the prep was not perfect. the doctor is going to relook in there to make sure we didn't miss any polyps. after that, i'll be on the five-year plan. i have to share this information with the family because they're high-risk, as well. across the board, i feel lucky. i feel blessed this thing had been there. it saved my life. >> you heard from a lot of people since that time. they saw you do this. they were putting off their colonoscopy and did it, too. you're off to a great start already this season.

and you have a mission this season. what is it? >> penalty spent a lot of time you can do to live your best life. this year, it's motivating you to change. i'm going to launch the season with a show called just ten. it's just ten pounds. listen to this. over the last two generations, the average woman in this country has put on 25 pounds. we extrapolate to 50 pounds over a century. if you can lose just ten pounds, imagine this. we can reduce the chance of heart disease by 50%. we can cut diabetes rates by 50%. even reduce arthritis rates by 50%. that's what can happen by losing ten pounds. >> help us lose ten pounds. >> we have a wonderful program. we're going to give you the tips. four, simple things today. you have to move ten minutes a day. you can do that during

commercial breaks of "good morning america." that's doable. number two, you want all of your snacks to be about this size. less than the size of your fist. you can have chocolate. you can have pretzels. but i want them to be smaller than the size of your fist. it's achievable. i also want you to recognize that it's fine to eat later in the day. but you can't eat after 8:00 p.m., assuming you go to bed at 11:00. finally, you got to weigh yourself every day. you know why? i don't want you getting upset about the weight. but track what you're doing. i want you to celebrate when you do the right thing. and i want you to get a little smacking doing the wrong thing. finally, giving away 50,000 of these race lbracelets. they're free. you can go to the website, abcnews.com. we're doing it at zappos. i want you to nudge yourself in the right direction. you can change your health

destiny and serve as a great example. >> you have some water. if you have something sweet in your mouth, wash it away. >> have your snack. wash away the taste. you got your kick. but you're going to want more and more of it. >> i love that. love you. mehmet, i'm glad it's working out for you. continued blessings. good patty sheehan. you stole her from us. >> she was on "usa today." >> we saw that. we did. go to abcnews.com/gma, for our complete guide to getting a colonoscopy, including the things a doctor might find during the tests. we also have interactive tools to see if you may possibly be at risk. still ahead, our series "vanished" explores the disappearance of a little girl, who left her friend's home and has not been seen since. my high cholesterol was contributing to plaque buildup in my arteries. that's why my doctor prescribed crestor. she said plaque buildup in arteries... is a real reason to lower cholesterol... and that, along with diet,

crestor does more than lower bad cholesterol... it raises good. crestor is also proven to slow the buildup of plaque in arteries. crestor isn't for everyone, like people with liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. simple blood tests will check for liver problems. you should tell your doctor about other medicines you are taking, or if you have muscle pain or weakness. that could be a sign of serious side effects. while you've been building your life, plaque may have been building in your arteries. ask your doctor if crestor can help and go to crestor.com to get a free trial offer. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help.

[ female announcer ] only roc® retinol correxion deep wrinkle night cream is clinically proven to give 10 years back to the look of skin. diminishing the look of even deep wrinkles. 10 years? i'll take that! [ female announcer ] roc® we keep our promises. [ beep ] ♪ [ beep ] [ beep ] ♪ [ beep ] [ male announcer ] find an italian masterpiece in your grocer's freezer. new from buitoni. shrimp and lobster ravioli with garlic butter sauce.

simple ingredients, artfully prepared. buitoni. create an italian masterpiece. discover more buitoni masterpieces in the freezer section.

♪ still ahead here on "good morning america," that man, right there. steve martin. he's always had a way with children. and now, the man who has made us laugh for years has a fabulous, new book and music your kids are going to love.

he's going to join us live. >> boy, can he play. the sequel to "waiting to exhale" is out. we'll talk to them about that. how the last 15 years treated them. one tummy at a time. because 9 out of 10 kids don't get the fiber they need, that's why froot loops® and apple jacks® have 3 grams of fiber in every yummy bowl. they're the cereals your kids love and the fiber their tummies love... which makes for a whole lotta happy. froot loops® and apple jacks, an oh-so-good source of fiber. kellogg's® makes fiber fun.

happy wednesday, everyone. we're looking for a cold front to move through the area. if you didn't like the hot temperatures yesterday, 91 degrees, 55th day that we had 90s or better. well, you're waiting for the cool, dry air to move through the area. in the meantime though there's a few showers ahead of the front. we could see clouds across the area as well. a little bit of sunshine, mainly cloudy as of now. satellite and radar picking up on what was once tropical storm hermine. we can see it's bringing lots of rain into northern and central texas, pushing into oklahoma and also kansas, they will be dealing with flooding across the area as well. as we head to the forecast, we're going to see more

sunshine, a lot cooler, picking up on clouds on this model but we'll see plenty of sunshine into tomorrow and also as we head into friday. the high today around 87 degrees. it will get windy, that's the big story as well. cool through tonight. let's go to kim brown. >> traffic will be jammed along the west side of the outer loop. it's going to be stop and go in spurts between 795 towards i- 70. right now traffic is moving well on the jfx. we have reports of an accident on the southbound lanes as you approach northern parkway, as you see her, traffic is moving well. an accident reported 97 at route 50, along the on-ramp, expect minor delays there. another crash in windsor mill. ambassador road at rutherford road. back to new york for more of "good morning america."

i think everything tastes better in the summer. my grandparents, they had a huge garden, with tomatoes and cucumbers and green beans. nothing beats the taste of fruits and vegetables in the summer. they're juicier. more colorful. they're perfect. that's why at giant, you'll find farm-stand quality fruits and vegetables, at prices you'll love. this week, enjoy whole seedless watermelon, $3.88 each, and select summer fruits, 2 for $4. my grandfather would be very proud, and that works for me.

celebrate summer, every time you shop with your giant card.

♪ work for me work, work ♪ ♪ work for me work, work ♪ ♪ work for me work, work ♪ work with me. we want to work with you. good morning, america. i'm george stephanopoulos, here with robin roberts. and we're using that music because we have a special, new series, starting out. we want to get all of you involved. we want to get into your workplace. we want to know all about it. we're going to tell you about this new project coming up. there's an essay you have to write. and we may be coming to where you work. you may be coming to where we work. how many times can i say work? also this morning, our new series "vanished," looks at the mystery of lindsey baum, the washington state girl, who disappeared on her way from a friend's house. lindsey has been missing for over a year now. her 12th birthday was in july. we'll have the latest. and we're going to have some

fun this morning listening to steve martin rehearse with his band. is there anything that man can't do? now, he's writing children's books. we're going to get o taste of it this morning. we begin with more of our exclusive conversation with new york mayor mike bloomberg. i met him at ground zero yesterday for a personal tour of the site. it's been the focus of so much now for almost nine years. for the first time, we're seeing some real signs of progress. you know there's the perception by many, what's going on? there's nothing going on. you come here and see it for yourself. >> this is probably the most complicated engineering construction site in the world. it is probably the most difficult political site to work in in the world. and nobody can say they weren't consulted. we consulted everybody, multiple times. >> nine years, though? >> well, part of it is democracy. america was founded so that everybody could give their input. >> reporter: mayor michael bloomberg and the president of

the 9/11 memorial and museum, joseph daniels, gave me an exclusive tour of the memorial site firsthand. you still get chills when you come to this place. >> you don't realize how big it is. >> an engineering marvel, with up to 3,000 people working on any given day. the world trade center site, will hold skyscrapers with office space, a museum, and two memorial pools with the names of those lost on the side. people come here. what do you want them to experience. >> that each and every one of those people were just like us. they simply got up in the morning. and they went to work that day. and to the extent that terrorism affects individuals means that we have a shared humanity with the people that died. >> 438 trees will be brought in from new york, pennsylvania and virginia, in hopes of creating tranquility in the middle of a brusling city. like a little oasis. >> the trees will rise so high that they create a beautiful canopy along the plaza.

it's meant to create a peaceful environment to remember those who were lost. >> reporter: and in the heart of the world trade center site, a memorial museum. those of us who were here, will never forget those images. some of them were quite graphic. how do you go about determining what you're going to put on display? >> what happened was tragic and gruesome and -- painful isn't quite the right word. took thousands of lives. and you shouldn't sugar-coat what happened. this was an attack on freedom. not just on new york. not just on america. it was an attack on you and your right to vote and to play and to say what you want to say. and there's nothing -- no easy ways to say this. >> reporter: a continuing work of progress. the committee hopes to have the three-quarters of the site done by the tenth anniversary of 9/11. the reflecting pools, the largest in the country,

operating by next september. >> the water goes down. >> infinity. reflecting absence. >> right. >> reporter: and the reason for that? >> the idea is, your family, your loved ones, disappeared. >> reporter: what are your emotions when you are here? >> what i see here is freedom. i keep in my mind the 400-odd first responders who went in and didn't come out. they died for our freedoms. you don't have freedom for free. you have to keep fighting for it, sadly. and sadly, we probably always will have to keep fighting for it. and we're going to do that. >> reporter: you talk about the freedom and the commemorations that will take place here also on 9/11. there's a pastor down in florida who is going to burn the koran. >> that's the same freedom. we're fighting, strangely, for his freedom to do it. i don't think he should be doing it. i think we should respect each other's religions.

if he's not going to have the freedom to do that i won't have the freedom to say what i want to say. >> the mayor always speaks his mind. really, enjoyed and appreciated the fact that he and joe daniels took me on a tour of the ground zero site like that. and it's spectacular. it's impressive. and it's tasteful. >> looks like it's going to be such an appropriate memorial. >> it will be. now, juju chang has the morning's other headlines for us. >> good morning, robin and george. we're going to talk more about the issues that mayor bloomberg had been weighing in on. the imam heading up the controversial mosque near ground zero, is not backing down, despite widespread opposition. he writes that abandoning the islamic center would cede our feature to radicals on both sides. meanwhile, pressure mounting on a florida pastor threatening to burn cappis copies of the ko

9/11. president obama is in cleveland today, trying to sell his proposals to jump-start the economy. the president will outline plans to expand and extend tax breaks for businesses. but he's opposing a new plan that would extend the bush tax cuts to the wealthy. in an exclusive interview with george this morning, house republican leader john boehner called on a two-year freeze on all tax rates, preserving those tax cuts. bp is deflecting much of the blame for the explosion that led to the gulf oil spill. it's out with a massive internal report about what went wrong. and matt gutman is digging into that report for us. who is bp pointing fingers at? good morning to you. >> reporter: this is a total 193 pages. and bp doesn't seem to take much of the blame for the explosion and the 11 rig workers that died after the explosion. page 36, it blames partly itself for decisionmaking and partly

halliburton for faulty cementing of the well. page 32, it blames transocean, the company that operated the rig, for not following its guidelines. page 44, again blames transocean. this time for not taking safety procedures seriously. again, it blames transocean on page 48, for not making proper maintenances on the b.o.p. that's the blowout preventer, that was brought to the surface over the weekend. fbi forensics teams are going over it. there may be criminal investigations. more than likely will be criminal investigations. and the 193-page report is more than likely a blueprint of bp's legal defense against those charges. again, juju, we're probably going to see a lot more finger-pointing from all of these companies in the future. >> matt gutman, more fallout to continue. thanks for that. in colorado, there are concerns more winds today could fan the flames of a raging

wildfire around boulder. the fire has already destroyed nearly 100 buildings and homes, forcing 3,000 people to evacuate. the governor has declared a state of emergency, freeing up $5 million in aid. now, let's check in on diane sawyer with what's coming up tonight on "world news." diane? >> and a good wednesday to you, juju. great to talk to you again. tonight on "world news," what if translators in afghanistan only pretended to know how to translate english to the afghan. and made mistakes. so many lives at risk. >> how does that happen? diane, we look forward to that. that's the news at 8:08. time, now, for the weather with sam champion. sam? >> good morning, juju. we felt a little sprinkle. i just wanted to say. just a little one. it's going to be a nice day, though. we think we're going to get temperatures that are still holding on the warm side today here in new york. let's see what you're up for

today. how's that? we'll start with pictures overnight, early in dallas. skies were looking wet. that will be one of the stories all day long today, in that area from there north. we'll look at what we think the rainfall totals will be. now, from loredo, towards austin, there's been heavy rain overnight. this rain will start to move north. from dallas, into oklahoma city, and probably into southern kansas, a little bit into western missouri. we'll get big rainfall totals over the next few days there. there is cooler air moving into new england. how do you feel about that? are you into cool air? i'm so out-voted. buffalo at 67.

we're hanging through a few clouds here on times square. >> thank you, sam. nearly 800,000 kids are reported missing every year in the u.s. and in today's "vanished," we look at the case of lindsey baum. she disappeared one day shy of her 11th birthday. ashleigh banfield is digging into cases like this one. this morning, she takes us to the town of mcclearly in washington state. >> reporter: this is the last-known spot where lindsey was seen. maple and fifth. she was two blocks away, visiting her friend, michaela, and came home this way. a car driving by, a woman on her way home from work, made eye contact with lindsey at this intersection.

but we know she never made it home, just a little over three blocks away. this is the face of innocence lost. lindsey jo baum. >> lindsey loves animals. she's very creative. she writes stories and illustrates them. >> reporter: on a warm, summer night, june 26th, 2009. lindsey baum waved good-bye to her best friend. and began walking home in mcclearly, washington, just 1,500 people. those last few moments you had with your friend, take me back. >> i said, bye. see you tomorrow. and i watched her walk right past that pole. >> reporter: and that was the last time you saw her? >> that was the last time i saw her. >> a 10-year-old girl is missing in a small town. >> lindsey baum vanished without a trace in late june. >> nothing like this happens here.

>> it seems like she just vanished. >> i saw her on the sidewalk. >> reporter: chief george klum has a clear view to the shell station outdoors. he always sees kids walking. in fact, he saw lindsey through that very window earlier that day. >> she was out walking around with her friends. it wasn't anything unusual. >> reporter: lindsey walked the stretch just over a half-mile from her house, past the shell station to michaela's house. sometimes three or four times a day. i'm sure you played the scenario out in your mind a lot. what do you think happened? >> i know somebody took her. i believe it was somebody she knew or thought she could trust. >> reporter: 14 months after her disappearance, investigators are focusing on this surveillance video from the shell station. it is newly-released. and they are hoping to talk to anyone who was in mccleary on the night lindsey went missing. they're still looking for the

man in the plaid shirt, seen walking here. and another man with a young boy, seen entering and leaving the store. >> it's that piece of information that somebody may have, to them is completely meaningless. it's going to be the one, little nugget that's going to unravel this mystery. >> reporter: more than 100 law enforcement agents have manned the hunt. horses, helicopters, dogs have been dispatched. specialized fbi search teams descended on mccleary. 4,000 leads. more than 30 persons of interest. and still, no suspect, no lindsey. investigators have not given up hope. and neither has lindsey's mom, who retraces the path her daughter took that night over and over. how many times do you think you've walked this route? >> hundreds. >> reporter: hundreds? >> hundreds, easily. >> reporter: what is it you're looking for? >> anything. a feeling, mostly.

i want to feel her. >> reporter: lindsey's best friend has her moments, too. do you ever think sometimes you see a girl and that might be lindsey? do you have moments where you think that might be her? >> well, i see someone. and they look like a completely different person. they don't look the same. they look exactly like lindsey. and i blink, and she's not there anymore. >> if that person who took my daughter is watching now. if they're a parent and they have any idea what a parent's love feels like, i would like to appeal to their heart and to their morals and stop this. i will never let this drop,

ever. when my time's over, i will haunt them from my grave. >> reporter: for "good morning america," ashleigh banfield, mccleary, washington. and tomorrow in our series "vanished" the mysterious disappearance of ash la. a fourth grader who was gone one morning. you can see more on the stories at abcnews.com/gma. when we come back, we have a new series we're going to announce. we want to work with you. uh huh. mom, i can walk from here. what about your... mom, i got it. ♪ [ female announcer ] they're never too big

for a little something sweet. kellogg's rice krispies treats. did you know up to 50% of new cavities form between teeth, in places you can't even see? aquafresh iso-active whitening is a breakthrough gel that transforms into an active foam. its active fluoride formula penetrates deep, surrounding and protecting the whole tooth against cavities -- front, back and in-between. for strong, healthy teeth for a lifetime,

try triple protection iso-active whitening from aquafresh. amazing. announcer: if you could see how the ingredients in new nature made sleep help you fall asleep naturally, you'd be glad you tried it. first l-theanine, the relaxant in green tea, calms your mind. then melatonin signals it's time to sleep. nature made. glade you took your vitamins. requires a little magic from mom [ kids ] whoa! [ marcia ] new motts medleys. looks and tastes just like the motts juice kids already love. but has two total fruit and veggie servings in every glass. new motts medleys. invisible vegetables, maical taste. rheumatoid arthritis going? they'reiscovering the first self-injectable ra medicine you take just once a month. it's simponi™, and taken with methotrexate, it helps relieve the pain, stiffness, and swelling of ra with one dose a month. visit 4simponi.com to see if you qualify for a full year of cost support. simponi™ can lower your ability to fight infections,

including tuberculosis. serious and sometimes fatal events can occur, such as infections, cancer in children and adults, heart failure, nerus system disorders, lir or blood problems, and allergic reactions. before starting simponi™, your doctor should test you for tb and assess your risk of infections, including fungal infections and hepatitis b. ask your doctor if you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, or develop symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should t start simponi™ if you have an infection. [ female announcer ] ask your rheumatologist about simponi™. just one dose, once a month. [ female announcer ] ask your rheumatologist about simponi™. so you think your kids are getting enough vegetables? yeah, maybe not. v8 v-fusion juice gives them a full serving of vegetables plus a full serving of fruit. but it just tastes like fruit. v8. what's yournumber?

today, we're announcing a new, exciting series, that will give all of us a way to get to know you better. it is called "work with me, gma." we want to hear about the way you work.

do you have a fun job? maybe something a little different. maybe you're juggling a bunch of jobs to make ends meet. we want to hear it all. if you're a winner, we'll take a walk in your shoes and shadow you in your job. >> first, you have to write an essay. this is basically, take an anchor to work day. write an essay, 250 words or less, telling us all about what you do, how you do it, why we should come to your workplace, what we will learn if we do. got to get started on the essay now. the deadline is september 17th. >> you've been tweeting about this. >> we got great things. this one says i work at a sam's club unloading trucks. some drive my forklift. another one, i work at a nascar truck. would be cool to have you come work with us on a nascar track. we're getting lots of good ideas. >> all right. >> i spend a lot of time at costcos and sam's club.

>> i've done odd jobs in my life. i mopped floors. i was a chamber maid at my parents' motel. i'm ready. i'm rested and ready. >> these were mine. i was a waiter in high school and college. did a lot of that. >> ever spill a tray? >> i did. i spilled a couple trays. i never dropped a club. i was a caddie. >> you were a caddie? all of the golf clubs -- >> i caddied a long time ago. >> well, george. what about you? >> my first job, i was a holiday inn desk clerk was my first job at the fairfax city holiday inn. >> do you have any clean towels? >> we kind of have that in common. >> yeah. >> and you? >> oh. i drove a school bus. >> whoa. >> i was a senior in high school. and if you -- >> a senior can drive a school

bus? >> yes. if you were a certain age. i started school late. i didn't get left behind. but because my birthday's in november, i started first grade at 6 instead of 5. so, i was 18 years old. and i was able to drive the school bus. i did that. i thought we had a video of my doing it in the past. i guess we don't have it. hey. >> there it is. >> send us the essay. 250 words or less. go to our website, abcnews.com/g abcnews.com/gma. or mail it at the address on your screen right now. there is the address. >> get busy. >> the deadline is september 17th. you can find out all of the rules on our website. >> you have to say that, work with me, "gma." coming up here on "gma," 15 years after her book "waiting to exhale," terry mcmillan is here. we'll ask her what the characters have been up to the last decade. and steve martin will be here live. we have a lot coming up in our

next half hour. [ woman ] i had this deep, radiating pain everywhere... and i wondered what it was. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves that send messages through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and less pain means i can do more with the ones i love. [ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior

or any swelling or affected breathing, or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. i found answers about fibromyalgia. then i found lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. then i found lyrica. no oil has flowed into the gulf for weeks, but it's just the beginning of our work. i'm iris cross. bp has taken full responsibility for the clean up in the gulf and that includes keeping you informed. my job is to listen to the shrimpers and fishermen, hotel and restaurant workers and find ways to help. i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. bp is gonna be here until the oil is gone and the people and businesses are back to normal... until we make this right. but it's also rich in powerful nutrients that help cleanse and purify your body.

cranberries are the ninja fruit. wh-wh-whoa! ocean spray -- tastes good, good for you. stay twice... earn a free night! two separate stays at comfort inn or any of these choice hotels can earn you a free night -- only when you book at choicehotels.com. what i wouldn't do for a do-over. [ female announcer ] new neutrogena® clinical skincare helps restore collagen depleted skin to undo the look of a year's worth of skin aging in just 4 weeks. clinical skincare. neutrogena®. in just 4 weeks. ♪ your favorites, in pieces. thais...peggy. whatng usa pris problem, please?

peggy? sure...well...suddenly it looks like i'm being charged a $35 annual fee. yes? tell me it's a mistake. yes? are you saying yes or are you asking yes? yes? peggy? peggy? anncr: want better customer service? switch to discover. ranked #1 in customer loyalty. it pays to discover.

all right. let's talk about what's going on now. we're definitely looking at some dry skies. we have clouds around but furthering to south heading into virginia you can see a couple lone cells, very weak, not putting down a lot of rain. one over here, mainly to the south of fredericksburg at this time. as you head out and about today grab the umbrella but all in all we'll stay dry with the frontal system. all right. let's send it over to kim brown with traffic. >> busy out there. let's get into it. on the jfx southbound, traffic jammed to 695, several incidents. on the inner loop top side of the crash, on the left shoulder, at the jfx, dealing with an accident downtown cathedral and chase streets, an accident in anne arundel county, eastbound route 100 past 95, that center lane is blocked.

here is megan pringle. good morning to you. a 25-year-old marine from randallstown was killed in afghanistan. this happened over the weekend. chris valley died when an i.e.d. hit his vehicle sunday. he served three tours of duty in iraq. had he planned to come home and marry his fiancie when h returned. a 20-year-old from massachusetts, a loyala student was found unresponsive in his room and pronounced dead at the hospital. there's a medical investigation going on. we'll keep you postd. >> maryland road systems are among the nation's worst. maryland was 43rd out of 50 states, rhode island was the worst. we'll see you at 9:00 for "good morning maryland" at 9:00.

steve martin is quickly becoming one of the most popular comedians in the business. >> good morning. >> good morning, steve. >> are you always this rambunctious at this hour of the day? >> and that is steve martin on his first appearance on "gma," in 1977. he's still rambunctious. >> got the great smile. >> he still plays a great banjo, too. >> the pay is the same. >> pardon? >> the pay is the same. >> from 1977. we're going to talk to mr. martin, hear him play. good morning, america. i'm robin roberts. >> i'm george stephanopoulos. also this morning, "waiting to exhale" author, terry mcmillan, is here. she's bringing back the characters of the blockbuster movie.

what has happened in the 15 years since the first book? we'll find out from her in a little bit. >> a lot. that's happened in the 15 years. there's a new musical coming to broadway about "spider-man." and the music comes from none other than bono and the edge from u2. they're going to join us friday, live. a rare morning interview, that's right. and the young star of the musical will perform a song from the show, for the first time, live. join us on the hudson theater on friday. now, to sam and the weather. >> we have a huge audience downstairs. a huge audience of very tall people downstairs. let's get to the boards. we have one or two things going on this morning we want to tell you about. as you get to the door, we have sky shots from all of the rain. a lot of places are getting rain. pensacola happens to be gorgeous. look at that. on our twitter pictures. guys, you got too quiet too soon.

don't let him make you be quiet. you're on "good morning america," you can be anything you want to be. how's that? we want you to see what a high pressure is going to be shifting the weather in new england. as the cold front moves by later on today, there's one or two scattered showers. and big hits of rain in massachusetts. but the big deal will be the temperatures dropping over the next couple of days. thursday, 74. friday, 70. these numbers are really going down from where they are today. it will be comfortably cool if you like that kind of thing. heavy rain, in the middle of the country, as we watch the end of th that's what i'm talking about.

a little noise never hurt anybody. all of that weather was brought to you by the burlington coat factory. robin? >> sam. long before there was "sex and the city," four women captured the imagination with their frank talk. terry mcmillan's best-seller, "waiting to exhale." remember this? >> whatever happened to the good old days? >> what good, old days? >> the days when men actually flirted with you. and asked you out for a real date. you know? where are they hiding? >> now, those four, unforgettable characters are back, in the long-awaited sequel, "getting to happy." and the author, terry mcmillan, is with us in the studio. it is great to see you. i cannot put this down. it is a page-turner. what made you, after 15 years,

want to revisit these characters? >> well, it wasn't intentional. i had been thinking about telling a story about four different women. again. basically, enduring four, different scenarios. when i dawned on me that where i had left these women. i thought, you know, first of all. i told the story with four characters. why repeat myself? that's when it dawned on me where i left these women and i could pick up 15 years later. they could evolve in age. concerns would be a little different. >> yes. they have really grown. the first one was sassy and all that. this one is, too. you can tell where they have really evolved. >> you know, i think the problems and issues that women

face in their 50s or 40s, are a lot different than when you're in your 30s. these women seemed to be obsessed with men. and -- not to say that women in their 50s. we're not as obsessed, i don't think. the way we have to deal with them, i think, is a lot differently. than in our 30s. we have a lot of other issues that we have to deal with. men can compound it. >> i love how you said. it's not like -- i think if he comes into your life, you're not going to shoo him away or anything like that. >> no. no, no, no, no, no. but there are a lot of women in their 50s, who suffer from the emptiness syndrome. some are divorced. some are suffering from loneliness. and some have flat-lined. they think this is the hand they've been dealt and they have to live like this. i disagree with that.

i've been through a lot. i've recovered. i've forgiven my ex, who was on this show. >> have you forgiven us for putting him on the show? >> oh, yeah. it was not your fault. no. that was like five years ago. i'm so past it. >> we want to talk a little bit about that, in a moment. but there was a character, bernadine. angela bassett played her so powerfully in the movie. there was the scene where she puts her husband's clothes in the car. and she sets it on fire. she was so upset. and we find out now, that she has -- she's forgiven him. and they're friends. and i equate it to what's going on in your life because 2005, you alluded to, the nasty divorce with your husband. >> i was a mean person. >> he was gay. you didn't know it at the time. he comes out. and it led to nasty things. but have you forgiven him? >> oh, yes.

i've forgiven him. we're friends. he's not my bff. but, no. i mean, time, they say, heals all wounds. but i think there's more to it than that. i became someone that i didn't like. and i realize that i had more power over my well-being. and that i had lost my center based on actions of someone else. and that i was the one who was responsible for them. and i snatched it back. and that's how i was able to get back to that. >> i'm about to say, are you happy to happy? is that what you wanted to accomplish? and for people picking up the book, at various places in our lives? >> oh, yes. we all go through our own forms of hell. >> sure. >> and i think people can't tell you how long to grieve. but there is room for all of us to recover. and to start our lives over. and that's pretty much what i've learned how to do. and i think that women have the right and the ability to be able to get over almost anything.

and to resurrect ourselves. and reinvent ourselves. and being 51 is not the end of the world. >> no, indeed not. you're working on the screen play, which is fantastic. are you going to have the four main characters back from the first one? >> hope so. >> i hope so, too. it was a great thing. and so are you. glad you're getting the happy. >> thank you. >> appreciate you being so open with us. you can read a chapter of "getting to happy" at abcnews.com/gma. we hope you do. next, steve martin is go

steve martin, plus kids, are always a winning combination. take a look at this. ♪ >> what's he doing? >> i don't know. >> your lower intestines. >> no, mark.

get him. >> classic moments from "parenthood" and "cheaper by the dozen." steve martin joins us now. he's just written a children's book called "late for school." thank you for being here. >> my pleasure to be here. >> it's getting raves from critics. i also gave it a test-drive at home. >> you did? >> i did. my two girls were transfixed by it. it's back-to-school time. and i think they were identifying with all of the anxiety. >> this started as an instrumental. i played it on the banjo. recorded it as an instrumental. after we recorded it, the lyrics started to appear to me. i sat down and wrote long lyrics about a kid that's late for school. i went back in, recorded them as a song. and then, i realized they were very visual. and i asked this great illustrator, c.f. payne, suggested by john lithgow, the

actor, who had done children books with him. came up with illustrations. >> timeless feel, too. >> they do seem timeless. and there's also a cd in the back with the record of me singing. and then, there's a sort of karaoke record, with -- minus my voice. a child can perform it on his own. talent contest or at school. >> you can read it, and sing it. >> read it and sing it. >> it has this feel of -- the dreams you have when you're a little kid. did i miss the exam? it has the feeling that's so much fun. what is it about children's books? this is your second. >> yeah. did one with ross chass, too. an alphabet book. >> what mindset do you get into when writing for kids? >> this came ready-made. i wrote it as a song. and it moved conveniently over to a book. it's so visual, the song.

it just seemed natural. i've been performing it in my banjo shows that i do with the steep canyon rangers. and it always goes over very, very well. whether it's adults or children. >> we're going to hear you play in just a little bit. >> oh, i didn't know that. >> thank goodness. >> wish i had brought my band and banjo. >> it seems like you're having so much fun, when you're just playing. like you're in a different world. >> it's quite enjoyable to play music. it's coming from another part of your brain, or my brain, i should say. not your brain. i would use your brain. i wish i could use some of that. >> it would not help. >> it's coming out of your hands and your body. i noticed, when i did comedy, i was always standing on stage. it's always -- you're existing from one joke to the next. but when i'm playing music, you can look out and see people going -- >> you wrote about that in your memoir, how when you were doing

the comedy on the road, at some point, it became very wearing to you. but this -- >> yes. also, you have other people on stage. i mean, i do, when i'm playing music. there's interaction between myself and the band. and it's actually quite enjoyable. when you're doing comedy, you're just alone for months. >> the same thing, i guess, when you're writing novels. you have another novel coming out soon. >> i call it a serious novel, i guess. called "an object of beauty." that's a novel set in the art world in manhattan, from 1993 to 2009. >> do you do all of these at the same time? or do you compartmentalize? >> people say, you do so much all the time. i have an easy answer. i don't have a job. i'm working on a movie, i'm working on a movie.

and there's a lot of downtime on a movie. there's time to do things. you know, wake up in the morning. and i have no place to go. >> and you say the greatest thing you can do is surprise yourself. >> i think so. when you're writing, especially you go, oh. i didn't know that was going to happen. it's a good feeling. >> steve martin, thanks very much. >> thanks very much. >> the book is terrific. can't wait until we hear you play. >> i can't wait to buy one. when we come back, steve

steve martin's wonderful, new children's book, "late for school." and these kids right here are going to be late for school. it comes with the cd of the "late for school" song he wrote. now, with the steep canyon rangers, steve martin. >> thank you.

♪ woke up this morning clock said i was late for school ♪ ♪ teacher said that's not cool got to put my shirt ♪ ♪ and pants on flew down the front stairs ♪ ♪ elbowed grandma passing by ♪ ♪ her face went in a pie ♪ got a morning last semester told my mom ♪ ♪ and that depressed her told my dad i won't be late ♪ ♪ so gotta accelerate let's go ♪ ♪ ran out the front door moving like a meteor ♪ ♪ i sped across i missed the bus ♪ ♪ my shoe lace tripped me around the corner ♪ ♪ neighbors shouting tally-ho

waved to sal ♪ ♪ he's filipino ♪ realized i was headed toward a pool ♪ ♪ it did look funny wave my arms and legs ♪ ♪ like mad to alter where i land, woo ♪ ♪ headed for the rubber boat hit the kiddie float ♪ ♪ i began to lose control i'm so glad i learned ♪ ♪ bounced off the diving board jungle gym i swung just right ♪ ♪ and hung on to a kite ♪ i'm flying i'm so high i see the school ♪ ♪ 8:00 a.m. that's the rule ♪ ♪ time is harking dogs are barking ♪ ♪ i feel like i'm sailing ♪ the wind is failing i'm headed toward the school ♪ ♪ on the football field i crash

50 yard line perfect smash ♪ ♪ grab my books and get my frantic final dash ♪ ♪ down the hall, i ricochet ♪ trophy case is in the way ♪ the other kids are all in class ♪ ♪ i wish that i were there woo ♪ >> last chance. ♪ i see the clock hands 8:00 a.m. ♪ ♪ exactly right pulled a handle ♪ ♪ the door is locked that's not right ♪ ♪ there's not a person here today ♪ ♪ is everybody out to play now i'm thinking ♪ ♪ and it's sinking it's saturday, oh ♪ ♪ i could have stayed in bed ♪ i'm not to school wish i could aviate ♪ ♪ i'm waiting let's go fishing ♪ ♪ my, oh, my

your grandma's face is in a pie ♪ ♪ mom gave me a new alarm to set for monday morn ♪ ♪ never want to be late for school never want to be the classroom fool ♪ ♪ i'd be in the english grammer slammer ♪ ♪ and i'd get a "d." ♪ ♪ i'm not late and life is great ♪ ♪ it's time to celebrate whoa ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you. thank you. thank you very much. my commute home to the eastern shore every night only takes an hour but that's more time than congress spends reading massive spending bills, it's crazy. that's why i wrote a law that requires 72 hours to read every bill. i read the big bills and i said no. no to the $3 trillion budget, no to the bank bailout, and no to the health care bill.

at home you would never pay a bill without reading it neither should congress. i'm frank kratovil and i approve this message because i'm proud to be ranked one of the most independent members of congress.

our thanks to steve martin and the steep canyon rangers. you can stick around and play more. you can see it later on our website, abcnews.com. where did george go? he's off to see the president of the united states. he'll have that interview for us tomorrow. we have steve martin now. take it away. have a great day, everyone. ♪

♪ good morning, everyone. let's talk about what's about to happen. we're about to have a cold front move through, so we're definitely going to drop temperatures down by this evening and into tomorrow. of it's going to get windy,

cool dry air will usher in. thunderstorms back around tennessee. we had showers earlier south of baltimore. we're in good shape. who is not? texas is not in good shape. oklahoma, kansas, you'll be going downhill as well, as we have what was tropical storm hermine move through the area here. our weather looking good as we go through tomorrow and even friday. this model shows a few more clouds but we'll be getting plenty of sunshine as well. as we check out our temperature for today, right around 87 degrees, mostly sunny skies will prevail into tomorrow, but the big story is that we'll cool down. let's go over to kim brown with your traffic. good morning, kim. >> thanks. so far, baltimore city, the hot spot for crashes, getting reports of two accidents, one at the alameda and east 32nd street, another at edmonson avenue and north monroe. as we look at the jfx, it's slow going southbound and an

earlier crash at northern parkway has been cleared but we're seeing heavy volume. as we look at the maps, we got an accident cleared from the top side of the inner loop, right there at the jfx, crash activity lingers at cathedral and chase streets. and we do have that accident northbound 95 at 195, that's making for a slow ride as you approach the city. stay with us, because "good morning maryland" is up next at 9 a.m.